Dispensing machine



Nov. 27 1923. 1,475,341

s. HANSON DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 3- m1 llmunllllll III Nov. 27 1923 s. HANSON DI SPENS ING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1920 I I 25 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 27,1923 v 1,475,341

S. HANSON DISPENS ING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet nmum Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,415,341 PATENT oFFlc SIGVORT HANSON, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO RACINE DISPENSER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION.

DISPENSING MACHINE.

Application filed September 20, 1920. Serial No. 411,628.

T 0 all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, Srovonr HANSON, a-citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of \Visconsin, hav invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dispensing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to dispensing machines of that character which are designed to contain a supply of material and dispense the same in predetermined measured quantities so that in serving drinks containing pulverulent material such as malted milk powder and the like, or portions of such character of material for other purposes, a oositive uniform quantity will be dispensed for each such service without adjustment of any parts of the machine other than its preliminary adjustment upon determining the quantity of material to be dispensed at each operation of the machine. And it is my object to generally improve and simplify the construction and operation ofsuch machines, an example of which is disclosed in Patent 1,211,577, issued January 9, 1917, upon my application, so that they will occupy but limited space upon counters, and can be readily manipulated by )inexperienced dispensers to deliver a uni form portion of material at all times.

'In the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2, aside e1evat-ion thereof; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical sectional view of the same; Fig. 4, a vertical detail sectional view showing certain internal mechanisms embodying my inventions as seen when looking toward the right in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a fragmentary side elevation showin adjusting mechanisms which I employ; ig. 6, a detail sectional view taken from Fig."5 and showing parts controlled by said adjusting mechanisms; Fig. 7, a plan as seen when looking into the machine as shown in=Fig. 4; and. Fig. 8-is a detail sectional view taken on the dotted line 8--8 in Fig. 4.

In said drawings. the portions marked, 10, indicate a base to which is'secured an upright support, 11, having a guide-way, 12, therein in which is movably mounted a standard, 13, which latter may be adjusted 'as desired, and held in'position by the screwbolt, 14. I I

A combined material containing chamber, 16, and measuring and charge ejecting chamber, 17, suitably connected at, 18, are provided with arms, 19, 20, which are supported on standard, 13, the arm 19 preferably being provided With a socket ortion, 21, placed upon the upper end of said standard, while arm 20 is held in position upon said standard by a screw-bolt, 22, the latter arm being provided with'a stud, 23, and wings, 24. Chamber 16, as indicated in Fig. 4, is provided with a flange, 25, for the reception of a container, 26, which is secured to a ring,

27, embodying a handle, 28, said handle h aving an aperture, 29, adapted to register with the socket portion 21 of arm 19, and secured to standard 13 by a screw-bolt, 30, passing through said handle and arm and threads into standard 13, at 31. In the use of my machine I prefer to employ a container, as 26, of'a desired capacity, into which'the material to be dispensed is transferred from the ordinary bottles or containers of commerce, and which container 26 I place in position within the flanged end, 32, of chamber 16, so that when so positioned material may be deposited thereinto by removing its cover, 26', and its contents are thus protected from dust or other extraneous matter, and may be fed as desired by the mechanisms to be hereinafter referred to.

Passing through chamber 16 is a shaft, 35,

to which is secured agitators, 36,.37, prefer- I ably in the form of wires, the agitator 36 being arranged so that when shaft 35 is rotated it will sweep radially through the lower portion of chamber 16, while the agitators 37 at the same time follow the rocking movement of said-shaft 35 to produce a rotary motion. One end of said shaft 35 is fixedly mounted in a collar, 38, from which extends an arm, 39, having a stud, 40, at its outer end, said assemblage of parts constituting a rock-shaft, while upon the-extreme outer end of said shaft is secured a stop, 41, having cushioning material, 42, in its outer end. 4

In the ejecting chamber 17 I mount a driving-shaft, 45, in bearing, 46, at the outer end of which shaft is secured an operating let er, 47, provided with a cross-arm or handhold, 48. A spring adjuster, 50, is mounted about said shaft 45-, saidadjuster being rO- screw, 51, and which adjuster also embodies an annular flange, 5'2, and a hub, 53. Secured to chamber 17 is a plate, 55, embodying an annular flange, 56, and hub, 57, of

a similar arrangement as said flange and said hub on adjuster 50. A helical spring, 58, surrounds said hubs 53, 57, one end of said spring being secured'to chamber 17, at 58", while the opposite end is engaged in adjuster 50, at 58", said spring and hubs being ensconced within a protectin collar, 59.

By the series of holes in ad uster 50, and

the screw 51, it will be understood that the tension of spring 58 may be regulated by rotating said adjuster to the desired position and fixedly securing the same by said screw.

At the inner side of said lever 47 1 place a stud, 61, which is in alignment with the stud 40 on the arm 39, said studs being con nected by a compound lever strap, 62, comprising the slotted members, 63, 64, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Mounted upon said driving-shaft 45 and also upon stud-shaft is an ejecting chamber 66, preferably comprising two members, 67, 68, (Fig. 8) secured together by pins, 69, (Fig. 4), the peripheral surface thereof being of a smooth and polished character. The wall of member 67' is provided with a hub, 70, mounted upon driving-shaft ,45, and a leg, 71, extends downwardly from said hub and is provided with ears, 72, in which one end of a transverse scraper in the form of a Wire, 73, is secured, as indicated in 'Fig. 4, the space between said leg and wall (indicated in dotted lines) forming a guide-way, 74, for a purpose to be explained. The opposite member 68 of said ejector (Fig. 6) is mounted on stud-shaft 65, and embodies a leg, 75, having the ears, 76, and guide-way, 74, similar in respect to the leg 71 and cars 72, in which cars 76 the opposite end of scraper 73 is connected, said scraper being so positioned that its transverse portion which extends across from walls 67, 68, will move in relation to the bars, 77, which arefixed in transverse position within chamber 17, and pass across said bars as said ejector 66 is rotated, thus disintegrating material being discharged through that side of chamber 17.

The ejector 66 is formed with a circular aperture, 66, which, when in registry with the throat or discharge opening, 78, of chamber 16, constitutes a portion of the pocket or hopper into which material i delivered from said chamber 16, and in which hopper the quantity of material to be disnsed at eachoration of the machine ls deterred, is accomplished by Ian adjustable Maw 80, which ma be raised" and lowemd in the hopper as desired so that the capacity thereof may be regulated whole! a greater or lesser amount newest of material to be dispensed at each service of the machine. Said bottom 80 is preferably of convex form on its upper surface and has secured thereto, at 81, a vertical shaft, 82, its lower end being secured, as at 83, to a cross-shaft, 84, having bearings, 85, 86, 87, at its ends, the latter two bearings being seated in the guide-Ways 74 o as to move vertically therein, while the bearing 85 is in alignment with a cam, 88, mounted on stud-shaft 65, upon which stud-shaft is fixedly secured a slotted segment, 89, the movement of which is controlled by a setscrew, 90, connected to chamber 16. Then it is desiredto diminish the quantity to be held and delivered by hopper, 78, 66, said segment 89 is moved rearwardly in the direction of standard 13, and as said segment and the cam 88 are fixedly secured to studshaft 65, the movement of said shaft causes spring 92, which is held between studs, 93 and 94, on cylinder, 66, and the hopper bottom 80, to contract, thus permitting the cross-shaft 84 by its release through the eccentric movement of cam 88 to move upwardly, consequently carrying with it said bottom 80, and, reversely, when it is desired to increase the capacity of said hopper, the forward movement of said segment, through shaft 65, operatessaid cam 88 to impel. cross-shaft 84 downwardly, and thus accordingly moving said bottom 80 downwardly and increasing the capacity of said hopper portion 66'.

At the lower end of saidejecting chamber 17 I provide a valve or'delivery door, 95, which is hinged, at 96, to said chamber, which valve is held normally closed to the mouth, 97, of saidchamber, as indicated in Fig. 2, and has embodied therewith an opening device 98, said valve 95 and the arm 20 having interposed therebetween a spring, 99, mounted upon the studs 23, 100, for automatically closing aid valve. Said valve, as will be understood, is opened by the pressure of 'a glass or receptacle against the openin-gdevice 98.

In the construction of my improved machine I have the base and partssupported thereby so arranged that it is of a portable character, and may be shifted to different positions, the parts being so related that it is unnecessary to fixedly secure the ma chine upon a counter or otherwise, as I have so balanced the same that the frequent operation of the machine will not disturb its equilibrium, although the machine occupies a comparatively small space, say eight by six inches, which is an important consideration generally in the installation of devices for soda stands and the like, where the advantage and conservation of space is essential. I

llnpperation, the various mechanisms of my lmproved dispensing machine are so timed that the delivery of'material therefrom is accomplishe both simply and quickly, and the discharge of material from hopper 66 to the receiving receptacle (not shown) is by a simple operation. The material, of course, which is held in store by container 26, is discharging into chamber 16. Upon the forward movement of lever 47, agitator-shaft 35 and driving-shaft are simultaneously operated through the communication and 'action of strap-lever 62 so that shaft 35 is rocked, carrying with it the agitators 36, 37, which have a sweeping and disintegrating effect upon the material while the same is being discharged through throat 78 into hopper 66. At the same 1nstant the ejector 66 is revolved by the rotary motion of shaft 45 so that the material resting upon the bottom 80 and confined within the ejector walls 67, 68, constituting ejector 66, to the uppermost limit of said hopper, is cut off from the remainder ofthe supply in throat '78 by the rotary movement of the ejector, which portion is carried around by said ejector to the influence of the scraper 73, which, through the cooperation of bars 77 over which it passes, further disintegrates the material, so that as the cylindrical ejector 66 is rotated forwardly by such actuation of said lever, the quantity of material thus carried around is delivered through the discharge end 17 (Fig. 4) of chamber 17 into a receptacle (not shown) which has been inserted'against the device 98 to open said valve 95, which, through the action of pushing the receptacle "against said device 98 opens said valve and causes the material to discharge directly into the receptacle beneath, and upon the withdrawal of said receptacle the valve instantly closes through the action of spring 99. In this manner it will be understood that the material to be served is kept enclosed within the machine until such time as a portion is to be discharged; and that the door or valve is opened only momentarily for the introduction of the charge into a receptacle, after which it instantly becomes automatically closed, and the entrance of dust, insects, and the like, is thus prevented. It will be observed that, by controlling shaft 45 through spring 58,

and the flexible connection of said shaft and the shaft 35, there is a synchronous opera-c tion of the mechanisms when lever 47 is actuated, which assures the continuous agitation and delivery of material through the chambers 16, 17, and that instantly a charge "is apportioned and cut off by the rotary motion of ejector 66, the same is carried aroundand dumped by the forward manipulation of said lever, which, when released,

automatically returns to normal position by the action of said spring 58 and shaft 45, said lever abutting against and being held from rearward movement by the stop 41.

It will also be understood that. by transferring a predetermined amount of material into container 26, sayfor example three pounds, and it is desired to divide such an amount into a certain number 'of portions to be served, the size of such portions may be regulated by adjusting bottom 80 in the .ejector 66, so that the pocket or hopper within the confines of the ejector walls 67, 68, and bottom 80 will be adjusted to contain just the quantity required to make an equal division of the gross amount held in said container.

In handling material of the character herein referred to it will be understood that atmospheric conditions seriously affect the same to a large degree, and it is important to protect the material from humidity, otherwise rapid crystallization occurs, resulting inthe hardening and deterioration of the material and resultant loss. Therefore, in providing a system of intercommunicating compartments which constantly protect the supply and discharge of such material from outside atmospheric influences I amenabled to dispense the same without exposing it to such conditions, and also to exclude the entrance of extraneous matter into the machine, as hereinbefore explained.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a dispensing machine, an apertured ejector therein, a bottom in said aperture, I

a shaft connected to said bottom, a crossshaft connected to said shaft, guide-ways in sald ejector in which said cross-shaft travels, yieldin means interposed between said ejector is mounted, a lever connected to i said shaft, a spring connecting with said lever and charge ejecting chamber, and a handle on said lever for actuatingthe sam to rotate said ejector to select a charge of in a downyvard directlon. 4 1

material and discharge the same 3. In a dispensing machine, an ejector having side walls the peripheries of which are cylindrically formed, means for uniting said walls, leg's extending downwardly from said walls to produce guide-ways, a movable bottom in said ejector, actuating means for said bottom seated in said guide-ways, and

means for operating said actuating means to ad ust said bottom 1n v said ejector.

4. In a dispensing machlne, a rotary ejector, a driving shaft to which said ejector is fixedly secured, a stud-shaft for supporting said ejector, a movable bottom in said ejector, actuating means in said ejector to which said bottom is connected, a cam on secured, a stud-shaft for supportin said stud-shaft; engaging .saidactuati means, and means for rotatlng sa1d-stushaft to actuate said cam to permit verticalmovement of said actuating means.

5. In a dispensing machlne, a rotary e ector, a shaft to which said e ector 1s fixedly ejector, a movable bottom in said e ector,

yielding'means interposed between said ejector and bottom, actuating means 1n sald ejector to which said bottom is connected, and means associated with sand stud-shaftfor permitting vertical movement of said actuating means'through the action of said yielding means.

6. In a dispensing machine, a'n ejector therein, a movable bottom in-said ejector, a

" stud-shaft upon which said ejector is supported, a cam on said'stud-shaf,t, means associated with said bottom with which said cam engages, adjusting means secured to said stud-shaft for actuatingthe same and said cam for permitting vertical movement of said bottom, and means for fixedly securing said adjusting means to retain said bottom in predetermined position.

7. In a dispensing machine, a rotary ejector therein, a scraper connected to said ejector, bars in said machine arranged transversely therein, and means for acutating said ejector whereby said scraper moves across said bars for disintegrating material discharging from said ejector.

8. In a dispensing machine, a material recelving and ejecting chamber, an ejector in said chamber, a shaft upon which said ejector is mounted, a lever at the end of said shaft for actuating the same, a spring adjuster secured to said lever, and a. spring secured to said chamber and said adjuster for returning said shaft to normalposition after said lever has actuated the same.

9. In a dispensing machine, a drivingshaft, a cylindrical e ector connected thereto and having a single diametrically formed packet therein, a bottom in said pocket a aptcd tobe adjusted to increase and decreasethe capacity thereof, a flanged plate securedto said machine, a lever at the end of said shaft, a spring adjuster secured to said lever, a spring mounted upon said plate tween said and said adjuster, and a protecting collar surrounding said spring and retained be- (plate and adjuster.

10. In a ispensing machine, a container having an opening for the introduction of materlal, a receiving chamber to which said container is secured for delivering material thereinto, an agitator in said chamber for disintegrating material, an ejector beneath said chamber having a pocket arranged diasaid - integer] metrically therein, an adjustable bottom 4 mounted in said pocket, a shaft upon which said ejector is mounted,.a lever connected" to said shaft for rotating the same, and

spring actuating means connected to said to said shaft for rotating the same to position; said ejector for discharging material from said machine.

12. In a dispensing machine, a revoluble 'measuringelement having a pocket formed therein and provided with guides, a reciprocating bottom fitted inv said pocket and provided with a centrally arranged stem, a cross-shaft secured to said stem and opcrating insaid guides to hold; said bottom in operative position, a bearing. on said. cross-shaft, a cam engaging said bearing and adapted to be set to hold said bottom in various retracted positions so as to vary the capacity of said pocket, and means for holding said cam in said set position.

13. In a dispensing machine, the combination with a container having a discharge opening .in thebottom' thereof, an ejecting,

chamber arranged vbeneath said discharge opening, a revoluble measuring element in said chamber, means for varying the capacity of said element, driving means for revolving said measuring element, and means for detachably connecting said'element to said driving means topermit'said element to be removed from said chamber.

14. In a dispensing machine, the combination with a container adapted to hold .the material to be dispensed, a measuring element adapted to segregate a measured quantity of saidmaterial and subsequently dis: charge the same, means for operating said 'measuring element, means automatically op erating to hold said measuring element in its filling position so as to insure against an accidental discharge of material, and means. for varying the capacity of said element to deliver apportionments 'ofvarying quantities.

In testimony whereof I afix-m si nature.

SIGVOR'I A SON. 

